Trouble Stinks!
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13
Trouble stinks! There are times when we struggle with the joy aspect of problems. Yet every day we are faced with perplexing and troublesome situations. The good news is that we are not always aware of it; we have no clue of what God protects us from. Yes, trouble seems to be all around us and it does not need an invitation to march right in to our day and take over. I believe that we must be wise and discerning; to make every effort to avoid problem areas that we can see.
Why can’t we stay away from these dilemmas? I find it fascinating that trouble can be absolutely beautiful. As in the picture above, that little fellow is such a cute, cuddly creature. It is hard to believe that it can ruin your day from 15 feet. Let’s face it, there is a little risk taking in all of us. Just how close can we get without getting sprayed. Getting the stink off is never easy.
I would venture a guess that there have been times when we have gone out looking for a little bit of mess due to our mood. Perhaps we wanted to hassle someone or be a nuisance just to get a response. What can we realistically expect? Those are the times when trouble raised its tail and cuts loose.
Is it possible for misfortune to leave us alone? I believe it is. I asked my friend, who took the picture above, in a text last night, “How close were you to that beautiful skunk?”
He replied, “I drove right by it twice.”
“No spray?”
“None at all. It was content doing whatever it was doing.”
The life lesson is this: Don’t go looking for trouble, but if you find it, leave it alone…RUN (at least 15 feet)!
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your protection and for pulling me away from trouble. Please give me discernment to recognize it. Take away my desire to see how close I can get without offending You. AMEN.